Dominic

"Nico... Nick!..... DOMINIC!!" His scream echoed through the house, "open the door for fuck's sake!"

How long had he been at it? I had no idea; I hadn't even noticed how I had slid down the wall and ended up on the floor with my back against the door, or when my palms had crept up to my ears, pressing hard on each side of my head. His pounding fists thudded through the wood and made my body sway. Or was it me rocking back and forth?

"Stop," I breathed, "please, Belmont, stop, I can't stand seeing you like this anymore."

Creaking footsteps approached; I felt the wolf's gaze, but I couldn't care less what he thought of me. Once, I had been feared on the streets of Paris and had killed men like him for breakfast. Today, I was red-eyed and powerless. My heart was so fucking broken that not even the strongest glue could fix it. I tried to retreat into myself, as I had done so many times before, but for some reason, something was fighting against it. Perhaps it was the hope of one day living a better life, of being happy again?

"There's coffee." A large hand grabbed my upper arm and yanked me up from the floor. "Drink a cup or two," red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks met dimpled smiles and calming eyes.

I lost my balance and had to lean against him. A sudden wave of body heat mixed with the scent of cheap all-in-one body wash for men and coffee hit me as he pulled me tightly into his arms. My palm rested against his chest for a few seconds, and suddenly I knew why Belmont had always longed to return to Conor. He radiated the same thing that Magnus always had—the thing we had always missed in our lives: security.

"Thank you," I mumbled, horrified to see that I had clutched his T-shirt in a tight grip. Embarrassed, I let go and brushed at the wrinkles in the fabric, my hand moving repeatedly over the thin cotton while I became increasingly aware of the hard muscles beneath. Conor's eyes studied me intensely, and I swallowed hard. I realized I had never talked to the wolf about him; maybe it was time now?

"I can't stand to lose Belmont too," I whispered hoarsely. "I had someone in France; Magnus. He's also a shifter, or he was," I corrected myself, "he left."

"I thought his time was up." It was more of a statement than a question.

Before I could think better of it, my lips opened, and I managed to reveal more about myself than I actually wanted to. "I've heard he's alive.""

But Belmont is keeping you here?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Not exactly, Magnus made it pretty clear to me that he wanted to die alone."

He took a challenging step forward, "Is that why you hate all shifters?"

"You know I don't hate you; fuck, I've even missed you," I whispered, pausing to meet the wolf's gaze, "but you remind me of what I've lost."

The pounding had quieted, and I realized Belmont was listening to us. Maybe it was a sign that he was feeling better? "Belmont, do you want some coffee?" I asked, turning towards the door with my heart pounding.

"Only if you have homemade apple pie to go with it," I heard him reply from inside with a clear grin on his lips.

I couldn't help but smile; how many times had we drowned our sorrows in pastries and coffee? So damn innocent amidst all the darkness. It was my way of holding onto a shred of humanity, and Belmont knew that. He knew everything about me; he understood me so damn well, even now. And I loved him for it.

"Sure, I'll make one," I replied, moving toward the stairs, "if you promise not to drain Conor of blood for dessert." It was a bad joke, but the wolf's reaction was definitely worth every word.

Belmont's eyes flickered between me and the wolf before they landed on the cup he held in his hands. He looked so damn pale and thin. I had always been the slimmer one, but in just a few days, he had truly withered away. His long dark hair hung unkempt over his shoulders, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his lips were dry and cracked. He used to be well-groomed and well-dressed, but now he resembled the guys who hung around on park benches day and night. Dirty and worn.

"What happens now?"

I raised an eyebrow and waited for him to elaborate on the question, but he said nothing more. "I guess it depends on your plan, darling; you seem to have set the goal of living in the sewers for the rest of your life," I snapped, feeling all the emotions bubbling up inside me again.

"Take a walk," commanded a deep voice from across the table, "fresh air is underrated."

I met Conor's gaze for a long moment without saying anything; his sentences always carried a commanding tone but also a strange warmth. It was clear he wanted to talk to Belmont in private, and that was why I had called him. So why was I hesitating?

Slowly, I rose from the table and placed my palms on the tabletop to lean closer to Belmont and whispered harshly, "If you hurt him, I'll leave you to your own damn fate. I know he smells like the best Christmas buffet, but damn you, Belmont, if you screw this up."

Two surprised wolf eyes watched me as I moved toward the door, hands deep in my tight jeans pockets and shoulders heavy, slumping toward my knees. Belmont's gaze was still fixed on the cup; as usual, he didn't say a word.

I trusted that Conor would help as best he could; the question was whether it was too late? Once upon a time, his presence had helped Belmont, so it should work.

My boots crunched over the crackling autumn leaves, and the fresh air would make a human body shiver, but not mine. I sank down to the ground and ignored Conor's suggestion; the sun felt more inviting than a murky forest walk. Leaning against the house wall, I closed my eyes for a moment of rest, and soon my vampire ears picked up the conversation going on inside.

"Why?" I heard Belmont whimper, "you've already given up on me!"

"Sure, Princess, sure, and that's why we're all here; in the middle of nowhere, getting on each other's nerves. Because we don't give a shit about you," a tired voice sighed.

"Why are you even here? Nic is right; all you're doing is tempting me with your pulsing fucking blood-filled veins!"

"So resist the temptation, darling; that's what addiction is all about. Giving in or fighting against it."

I heard a chair fall to the floor with a crash and feet moving hastily back and forth across the floor in jerky movements. "It's not that fucking easy!" he screamed with the shrillest voice I had ever heard from him.

"And who said it was easy?" the wolf calmly countered, "Dominic has a point; what kind of life do you want to live, Sweetheart? Are you happy like this?"

Once again, his calmness was contagious, but at the same time, I heard his pulse. Heartbeats that proved there were feelings inside him that he concealed well; the wolf cared more than he wanted to show. In a way, it calmed me too, but Belmont's reaction made me uncertain. Was Belmont worth the trouble?

"He can't take it much longer; you know that, right?" Conor said the words I was thinking; was it that obvious? "I don't know what happened while you were away, but it clearly took a toll on him; despite that, he's here, and I don't need to be a brain surgeon to understand that he loves you."

The footsteps suddenly stopped. "But," Belmont whispered.

"But if you don't get it together soon, he'll leave."

"And you? Are you leaving too?"

A deep sigh was heard, "that's your choice."

"As usual," Belmont muttered, disappointment clear in his voice.

"Go ahead and chirp, but I wasn't the one who chose to take this road; you know that."

"I had no damn choice!" Belmont shouted sharply.

"Everyone has a choice, sweetheart, and outside this house, there's someone who should be part of yours. But that's just my opinion, so do what you want with that information."

A chair scraped against the wooden floor, and I heard heavy footsteps moving away from me, then transition to the creaking stairs leading upstairs. "Better to think forward than drown in the past."

After that, everything went silent. Nothing more was heard from inside, and I hoped with all my heart that Belmont would take to heart what the wolf had said. Damn how I wished everything would just go back to the way it was.

The sun had begun to set when I heard the door open and close. Belmont stepped out of the house and squinted against the sunset. "Were you also kicked out?" I smirked, meeting his uncertain smile.

"Something like that," he replied with a shrug before strolling over to me and sinking down between my knees to rest his tired head against my chest. As if the days of screaming, crying, and harsh words had never happened.

"You should shower."

"Do I stink?"

"Yup," I grinned, running my fingers through his tangled hair.

He chuckled softly to himself before tensing up and whispering an apology. "I'm sorry for everything."

"Just show that you care, Bel," I whispered back. "Show that you want more than this shitty life; you know I'm here for you."

He nodded slightly, "That's the problem; you're always here no matter how much I hurt you."

I furrowed my brow before pushing him away from me and standing up. "So I should leave? Is that what you're saying? That I should stop caring about you and go to Mass?" I wet my lips before continuing, "Do you know how many times I've stopped myself from leaving you trembling in the dark?"

He nodded silently but seemed to not understand what he had actually done to me. But how could he? When he was high on blood and living in a euphoric state, he felt good and showered me with love, but then I had to suffer the consequences. It was afterward, when the withdrawal hit, that he closed himself off, and then I wasn't worth shit. Then the hunt was all that mattered, at any cost.

"Why did you call him?"

I sighed and shook my head, "Because he cares about you, Bel, and no matter how much we hate what you've become, Belmont, we want you to get better." I kicked a stone that flew off into the distance, "You love each other, Bel; he can make you feel better. Just like last time."

"You're just dumping me on him," he laughed dryly, but I saw a glimmer of my old Bel in his sad eyes.

I shook my head tiredly and took a few steps forward, my fingers curling around his stained shirt as I pulled him to me. "This is about you, Bel, about wanting you to survive," I hissed. "You can blame me all you want, but think before you say anything you'll regret."

Suddenly, Belmont's eyes widened in a twisted grimace, his gaze fixed far behind me. He stumbled backward and pulled away from my grip. And before I could react, he was gone, vanished deep into the dark wolf forest.